Here We Go！
Continuing my Sex Pistols collection series —
this time featuring another copy of God Save The Queen (VS181).
🔗 If you missed the previous post, I covered the specs of the original UK first pressing in detail.
This article dives into something I’ve been curious about:
a strange case of label colour.
🧷 Sleeve & Vinyl Condition
🧷 Sleeve Condition
Aged, but not bad considering its age. Some wrinkles and staining, but overall decent.
🧷 Vinyl Surface
No visible scuffs or hairlines — looking good! 👍
🧷 Matrix Numbers
VS-181-A-7 / VS-181-B-5
🧷 The Main Question: What Colour Is the Text?
I always assumed this copy had silver text — it looks like silver at a glance.
But the matrix reads A7 / B5… which points to a 3rd or 4th pressing.
So, shouldn’t it be white text?
According to Discogs, white labels are fairly obvious.
But mine seemed… somewhere in-between.
So I decided to investigate.
🧷 Label Guide
- 1st Press: Blue label, silver text (both sides)
- 2nd Press: Blue label, white text on A-side, silver on B-side
- 3rd Press & later: Blue label, white text both sides
🧷 Silver or White? Here’s What I Found
I even consulted ChatGPT for extra input 😆
After researching and testing, here’s what stood out:
1. Lighting Test
- Silver text reflects light — it shimmers ✨
- White text stays flat and matte, regardless of angle
🧪 Verdict:
Hard to tell. It kind of reflects… or does it? 🤔
2. Edge Detail
- Silver text (hot foil print) = slightly blurred outlines
- White text (standard ink) = sharper, cleaner edges
🧪 Verdict:
Hmm… the letters do look pretty sharp. Leaning white?
3. Contrast Against Blue
- Silver tends to blend into the blue background
- White pops with stronger contrast
🧪 Verdict:
Visually, this still felt more like silver — but maybe not…
The Most Reliable Method: Natural Light + Monochrome Photo
This seems to be the community’s go-to:
- View in natural daylight
- Take a photo with your phone and apply black-and-white filter
💡 Apparently, this really helps expose subtle differences in ink tone.
So I gave it a go — and…
I was totally wrong when I posted this as “silver text” on Instagram two years ago 😅
📸 Result?
No doubt about it — it’s white.
Crisp, clear, non-reflective. Not silver after all 😅😅😅
So yeah… the “silver print” I posted on Instagram two years ago?
That was a mistake 🙇♂️🙇♂️🙇♂️
Turns out the ink had faded into a greyish hue over time, which threw me off.
A bit of a letdown, but at least now I know — and that’s what counts.
💡 Bonus Nerd Detail
There’s a rare variant believed to have emerged during the transition from silver to white printing.
This so-called “intermediate” label — likely a second press anomaly — used silver-looking ink but with matrix numbers from later pressings (like A7/B5).
Collectors say it’s uncommon, with very limited quantities pressed.
My copy might be one of those. A happy accident of timing.
🔜 Coming Up Next
Next time, we’re moving to the third single in the run:
Pretty Vacant – Virgin VS184
Looking forward to sharing that one!
byebye 👋
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